Valve-gear for apparatus for raising liquids.



APPLIUATION PILED APRJZ, 1911.

Patented July 18, '1911.

coLUMlA PLANOGIAHI co.. WASHINOTDN. B. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY PA'ULING, OF GELSENKIRCHEN, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR TO SALPETERSUBE-INDUSTRIE-GESELLSCHAFT Gr. M. B. H., OF GELSENKIRGHEN, GERMANY.

VAIVE-GEAR FOR APPARATUS FOR RAISING LIQUIDS.

To all 'whom 'it may concm:

Be it known that I, HARRY PAULING, a subject of the King of Prussia,residing at Gelsenkirchen, in the Kingdom of Prussa and German Empire,have invented a new and useful Improved valve-Gear for Apparatus forRaising Liquids, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to apparatus for rasng liquids by means ofcompressed air; and it comprises a receiving vessel or pres sure chamberfrom which the liqud is to be raised, conduits of different crosssections leading from said vessel to communicating liquid containingchambers which are mounted so as to be rotatable about a fixed point andwhich constitute a balance device, and a valve adapted to be opened orclosed by the operation of said balance device to control admission ofcompressed air to said vessel; all as more fully hereinafter set forthand as claimed.

In handling liquids of various kinds, particularly acids and the like,it is often desirable to avoid the use of pumps of the usual types wherethe liquid to be elevated or otherwise conveyed comes in contact withparts liable to be attacked by the liquid in question. For rasing suchliquids from one level to another, devices commonly known as acid eggsare often employed, Wherein the liquid is brought into a receivingvessel, compressed air or other gas is admitted into the vessel, and theliquid is thereby forced out of the vessel through an exit pipe to thedesired level. As a rule the operation of such liquid-raising devicesinvolves steps occurring in repeated cycles. A definite amount of liquidis first admitted to the receiving vessel or pressure chamber,compressed air is then admitted to the vessel to eXpel the liquidtherefrom, a second portion of liquid is passed into the vessel and eX-pelled as before, and so on, indefinitely. The air valve controlling theadmission oi compressed air or other gas is often operated manually,although automatic operation has been proposed. According to one methodof automatic operation heretofore proposed, rise of the liquid in thereceiving vessel to a certain level closes an electric circuit actuatingthe valve. But such a device is more or less complicated oWing to thefact that two different sources of energy Specificaton of LettersPatent.

Application filed April 12, 1911.

Patented July 18, 1911.

Serial No. 620,6 70.

are employed and the relation between the height of liquid in thereceiving vessel and the position of the air valve is indirect.

In the present invention the rise of liquid in the receiving vessel isutilized to produce diiferental pressures in a pair of chamberscontaining a suitable liquid and connected by a conduit in such a mannerthat liquid may pass freely from one chamber to the other. The chamberswith their connecting Conduit constitute what may be terned a balance orbalance beam, supported upon' a fixed member such as a knife edgelocated at a convenient point intermediate the ends of this balance. Thebalance is operatively connected to a compressed air valve in such amanner that rotation of the balance about the knife edge opens or closesthe valve. FleXibly connected to the chambers are tubes leading from theupper parts of the chambers to near the bottom of the receiving vesseland serving to transmit to the chambers the pressure due to rise ofliquid in the receiving vessel. The portions of the tubes within thereceiving vessel should be of different effective cross sections for atleast a part of their length. Liquid entering the receiving chamber andrising coVers the lower ends of the pressure-transmitting tubes. Furtherrise of liquid compresses the air in these tubes and in the balancechambers and also forces air into the chambers. But since the tubesdiffer in cross section, more air is forced into one balance chamberthan into the other, and consequently the air pressures in the chambersbecome unequal. To balance this inequality, liquid flows from onechamber into the other. Liquid continues to rise in the receiving vesseluntil a point is reached where the transfer of liquid from one balancechamber to the other causes the beam to turn on the knife 4 edge;whereupon the air valve is .opened to admt compressed air into thereceiving vessel, and the liquid therein is forced outthrough the exitpipe to some higher level. When the level of liquid in thereceivingvessel has fallen below the ends of the tubes,

the liquid therein fiows out, whereupon equality of the air pressure,and consequently of the liquid levels, in the balance chambers isrestablished, causing the beam to turn back to its original position andclose the compressed air valve. The described cycle of Operations isthen repeated as often as may be desired, the opening and closing of theair valve occurring automatically and depending directly on the heightof liquid in the receiving vessel.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown more or less diagrammaticallya typical assemblage of apparatus elements embodying the presentinvention. In this showing the figure is a sectional elevation of theassembled apparatus.

Referring to the drawings, 1 is a vessel or pressure ch'amber adapted toreceive the liquid to be raised, 2 is an inlet for such liquid providedwith ball valve 18, and '3 is an exit pipe leading to any convenientplace to which it is 'desired to convey the liquid. Tubes 4 and 5-,which may Conveniently be emboclied in a double tube as shown, leadsfrom near the bottom of the vessel and are connected by means offlexible tubes 6 and 7 to balance 'chambers 8 and 9 respectively. Tube 4is of larger cross section for a part of its length than is tube 5. Thechambers contain liquid which may flow from one to the other throughcondut 1-3. nected chambers are supported upona suitable base whichrests upon knife edge 15, and to this base is -attached rocl 14controlling valve 17 of the compressed air inlet. Adjustable weight 16may be moved to vary the pressure of valve 17 upon its seat as desired.In the position of the balance indicated in the figure, the compressedair is cut off and communication between the receiving vessel and theatmosphere is aorded through passage 19'. When the balance turns to liftvalve 17 from its seat, this communication is cut off and the vessel isconnected. to the source of compressed gas, i

The operation of the apparatus is obvious from the foregoingdescription.

Assuming the initial condition of the apparatus to be as shown in thefigure, liquid to be elevated enters pressure chamber l through 2, thedisplaced air passing out through 19 to the atmosphere. When the ends oftubes 4 and 5 become submerged in the rising liquid, the air in thebalance chambers is compressed. But by reason of the greater crosssection of tube 4, more air is forced by the rising liquid into chamber8 than into chamber 9. The pressure in 8 thus becomes greater than in 9;and to restore equilibrium, a part of the liquid in 8, which Originallystood at the same level as in 9, fiows into 9 through 13. This flow into9 continues with the rise of liquid in the pressure chamber and in thetubes 4 and 5 until the weight of water in 9 becomes sufficiently greatto turn the balance in the direction of the arrow, thus raising the airvalve froni its seat and admittng compressed air to the receivingvessel, while at the same time communication between the vessel and Thecone the atmosphere is cut ofi. The compressed air forces the liquid inthe receiving vessel or pressure chamber out through exit pipo 3 to aplace of discharge. The increase of pressure in the pressure chambercauses the liquid to rise still higher in tube 4 and 5 and the air in 8and 9 to be further comprssed. But since the relation between thevolumes of clisplaced air remains substantially constant, the balancewill remain in 'its inclined position until the level of the liquid inthe chamber falls below the ends of 4 and 5. Air will then enter 4 and 5and the liquid therein Will flow out so that equilibrium is againestablishecl in chambers 8 and 9 by the return flow of liquid throughpipe 13. This causes the balance to return to its position of rest,closing the compressed air inlet and opening the interior of thereceiving vessel to the atmosphere. The described cycle of Operations isthen repeated automatically.

Instead of using the double tube 4-5, the portion of either 4 or 5within the receiving vessel may be onitted, the vessel itself thenfunctioning as the tube of larger section.

What I claim is:

1. Valve gear for apparatus for raising liquid's by compressed air,comprising, in combination with a pressure chamber having an air valvefor the adnission of compressed air, two tubes projecting into saidpressure chanber of unequal cross section, two chambers communicatingwith each other and supported like a balance, a pipe c'onnecting each ofsaid tubes with one of said two chambers, and means to connect thechambers so supported with the air valve, substantially as, and for thepurpose,

i set forth.

2. Apparatus for raising liquids, comprising a pressure chamber having aliquid inlet and a liquid outlet, communicating liquid-containingchambers mounted so as to be rotatable about a fixed point, conduits ofdifferent cross sections connecting said pressure chamber and suchrotatably mounted chambers, and means adapted to be actuated by suchrotatably mounted chambers for admitting compressed air to said pressurechamber.

'3. Apparatus for raising liquids, comprising a pressure chamber,balance chambers connected by liquid-conducting means and pivotallymounted to operate like a balance, means connecti-ng said pressurechamber and said balance chambers and adapted upon rise of liquid insaid pressure chamber to produce difl'erential pressures in said balancechambers, and means actuated by the movement of said balance chambersfor admitting compressed air to said pressure chamber.

4. Apparatus for raising liquids, comprsng a pressure chamber, valvedmeans In testmony whereof I have signed my for admittng compressed airto said presname to thisspecficaton in the presence of sure chamber, abalance adapted to open two subscribng witnesses.

and close said valved means, and means for HARRY PAULING. transmttng airpressure from said pressure Wtnesses: I chamber to said balance to causemovement RICHARD MERKEL,

of said balance. LOUIs VANDORY.

Copies of this patent may he obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe "Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

